Dr. Graham’s research has helped protect the public from other unsafe drugs, including Omniflox an antibiotic, Rezulin, a diabetes treatment, Fen-Phen and Redux, weight-loss drugs, and phenylpropanolamine, an over-the-counter decongestant, Lotronex, Baycol, Seldane, and Propulsid.

A story in today’s New York Times discloses that Avandia’s maker, GlaxoSmithKline, knew about Avandia’s heart attack dangers since 1999. Coincidentally, the Los Angeles Times is reporting today that GlaxoSmithKline ill pay $460 million to settle claims by Avandia victims. The LA Times reports that this is good news as the market had anticipated that the company would suffer $6 billion in losses from Avandia. Troy Media is reporting today VIOXX caused 140,000 heart attacks that killed 60,000 people. It adds:

[F]ormer FDA medical reviewer Dr. David B. Ross stated, “industry has become FDA’s client. People at FDA know that they have to be careful about upsetting industry” and that “even if a product doesn’t work, . . . there is pressure on managers that gets transmitted down to reviewers to find some way of approving it.” Former FDA medical reviewer Dr. Robert L. Misbin, now deceased, likewise observed: “One of my superiors said something . . . I have never forgotten, that we have to maintain good relations with the drug companies because they are our customers.” In each case, these career government scientists spoke out, aware that doing so invited agency retaliation; FDA has a long, sordid history of retaliating against whistle-blowers.

By the way, I have now learned that Dr. Misbin is not deceased. Troy Media erred both in reporting that his is “former FDA” and “now deceased.” I received an email from him that you can read in the comments to this blog entry.

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